INDIA – The Indian arm of North American drugmaker Eli Lilly has announced a strategic partnership with Indian pharmaceutical Cipla, allowing the latter to sell, promote, and distribute two of Lilly’s diabetes products, Humalog and Trucility, in India.

The collaboration is subject to regulatory approval. Lilly also noted that it will maintain its existing operation model for its other products, with the main idea being to leverage Cipla’s strong local footprint.

Cipla, at its end, would leverage its capabilities and robust distribution strengths to engage healthcare professionals and expand access to these treatments for patients who need them.

Commenting on this partnership, Managing Director India Subcontinent of Lilly India, Luca Visini said: “Developing strategic partnerships to adopt different operating models is key to enabling Lilly’s global efforts to make innovative medicines available to more people in India and around the world.”

He continued to add, “Today, we are proud to be announcing our partnership with Cipla, which, pending full regulatory approvals, will hold the rights to sell, market, and distribute select Lilly Diabetes portfolio products. Cipla has a strong local footprint and is well established to expand access to those medicines around India.”

The partnership deal will allow Cipla to expand access to the drugs in the country with the second-highest number of diabetic people in the world, which according to government’s estimates, India has more than 70 million adults living with diabetes.

Trulicity is a prescription medicine given once weekly through an injection for adults with type 2 diabetes to improve blood sugar (glucose) and reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack, or stroke.

Similarly, Humalog is a prescription-only fast-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. Humalog comes in two strengths: U-100 (100 units per milliliter) and U-200 (200 units per milliliter).

Worldwide revenues for Humalog increased 9 percent year-on-year to US$ 607.6 million in the second quarter of 2021, according to Lilly’s quarterly results.

Furthermore, global revenues for Trulicity a once-weekly shot to control blood sugar through the week, is Lilly’s best-selling drug that raked in sales of US$ 1.54 billion in the second quarter.

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